Album Review

The fourth studio release from the Atlanta-based trio Drivin' N' Cryin' found the band managing to make inroads onto the national scene following years of being a major attraction in the South. Building on a base of Southern-styled rock, they infuse 11 tracks on Fly Me Courageous with elements of R.E.M.-like jangle folk and more muscular, hard-driving guitar rock while never losing their sense of melody. Lead singer Kevn Kinney possesses a distinct voice with a nasally quality and he's backed ably by bassist Tim Nielsen, guitarist Buren Fowler, and drummer Jeff Sullivan. The thunderous, politically charged title track (built around an instantly arresting guitar riff) deservedly received heavy airplay, but other standout tracks include the driving "Around the Block Again," the boogie stomp of "Chain Reaction," and the sweetly muted, folk-tinged "For You." Fly Me Courageous proved to be Drivin' N' Cryin''s finest moment, both commercially and artistically.

Customer Reviews

Damn Good Rock Album

by
Bit NOLA

Fly Me Courageous is pretty strong, straight-ahead rock, almost all the way through. Just listen to the clips if you like energetic rock. And this was a band with a passion. You can hear it plainly in the vocals.
Don't go for the anthology, unless you don't mind a few clunkers from the bands later albums, which were pretty poor because they had exhausted what they could do. But search out their earlier albums, especially Scarred But Smarter. Damn they were good. Look them up. They are worth a listen.
Saw them live at The Varsity at LSU. Like the albums better, but they were all right live. The audience didn't take too kindly to the lead singer parading around with an Amnesty International flag at the end of the show, Baton Rouge being full of money-grubbing republicans and their kids. But this was a way under-appreciated band. Check them out. It's not really about Southern rock.

rock on

by
modano11

This is one of the best rock albums ever recorded. It's one of the few that holds your ear all the way through. It's one of the few over the past twenty years that track after track, You say, Damn!

Strong Record!

by
Lucky26

This is a great DNC album. Not sure why iTunes doesn't have all their stuff up here, but this is a good one to have. Every track is good and the mix of music you get throughout this album makes it a must own for anyone who likes rock. Buy it...NOW!!

Biography

Formed: 1985

Genre: Rock

Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Formed in Atlanta in 1986, the hard-rocking, Southern roots music-steeped Drivin' n' Cryin' were never embraced on a national level, but have reigned supreme in the region during their tenure. Originally made up of singer/songwriter Kevn Kinney on guitar and vocals, Tim Nielsen on bass, and Paul Lenz on drums, the band's debut was the timeless hard rock/bluegrass fusion Scarred But Smarter (1986) on 688 Records, the label that grew out of the punk-era Atlanta club of the same name. The band followed...